1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a terminal retaining connector capable of temporarily retaining or releasing a male terminal inside a connector housing easily with fingers of a hand.
2. Related Art
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a conventional connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2-278673.
The connector 20 includes: an inner housing 22 for fixing a male terminal 21 by pressing; an outer housing 23 that covers the inner housing 22; and a seal resin 25 that is filled on the side of an electric wire connecting portion 24 of the male terminal 21.
The male terminal 21 has a pair of projections 27, 27 on a base portion of a tab portion 26 serving as an electric contact portion. The projections 27, 27 are fixed by cutting into the inner surface of an inserting hole 30, with the tab portion 26 inserted into the inserting hole 30 arranged in a front wall 29 of a terminal accommodating chamber 28 of the inner housing 22 by pressing.
However, the conventional structure not only requires a tool dedicated to the insertion of the male terminal 21 by pressing, but also imposes difficulty in extracting the male terminal 21 when a user wishes to release the male terminal 21 because of defective insertion or for maintenance, etc. In addition, once extracted, the male terminal 21 cannot be inserted by pressing again because the inner surface of the inserting hole 30 has been worn.